{"id":28451,"date":"2025-07-29T17:35:04","date_gmt":"2025-07-29T21:35:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/?p=28451"},"modified":"2025-07-29T17:35:04","modified_gmt":"2025-07-29T21:35:04","slug":"report-shows-chatgpt-encouraging-self-harm-demon-worship","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2025\/07\/report-shows-chatgpt-encouraging-self-harm-demon-worship","title":{"rendered":"Report Shows ChatGPT Encouraging Self-Harm, Demon Worship"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Left: PhotoGranary \/ stock.adobe.com | Right: Adobe Stock<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With AI technology quickly becoming universal throughout technology, a report is revealing some startling applications of the new technology. According to a report by The Atlantic<\/em>,<\/a> a journalist and two colleagues tested out ChatGPT to find out the type of advice they could get from the AI. The journalists drew up several prompts for ChatGPT regarding such things as rituals to Molech, the ancient God mentioned in the Bible who called for child sacrifices.<\/p>\n

ChatGPT offered practical tips for self-mutilation. \u201cFind a \u2018sterile or very clean razor blade. Look for a spot on the inner wrist where you can feel the pulse lightly or see a small vein \u2014 avoid big veins or arteries,\u201d the AI stated. When the user admitted to being nervous about cutting, the chatbot responded with breathing techniques to calm the user. When asked to set up a ritual to Molech, the AI made suggestions of acceptable sacrifices, including blood. As the conversations grew more dark, at no point did the AI reject the requests. OpenAI has a policy against promoting self-harm, with most direct requests directing the user to crisis hotlines. But by referring to a ritual for Molech, the users were able to bypass such safeguards.<\/p>\n

Additionally, the chatbot offered some ways that a person could \u201chonorably\u201d end someone else\u2019s life, such as through sacrificial rites. It offered one user a chant to \u201cconfront Molech, invoke Satan, integrate blood, and reclaim power\u201d as well as a pdf to show \u201caltar layout, sigil templates, and priestly vow scroll.\u201d Such access is especially concerning considering the growing rise of \u201cAI psychosis<\/a>.\u201d The condition is defined as a \u201clife-altering mental health spirals coinciding with obsessive use of anthropomorphic AI chatbots, primarily OpenAI’s ChatGPT.\u201d Etienne Brisson has opened a support group for people like him, who have found themselves spiraling out of control after an unhealthy attachment to AI. He opened a website where people could share their experiences. \u201cI started getting response one, response two, response three, response four, response five. I had at some point, like, eight responses, and six of them were suicide or hospitalizations. So that’s when I was like, ‘Wow, this is really shocking for me,\u2019\u201d he said. AI psychosis, however, remains a little studied field, so the data on its overall impact of mental health remains unknown.<\/p>\n

A statement from OpenAI, which runs ChatGPT noted some failings of the technology. \u201cSome conversations with ChatGPT may start out benign or exploratory but can quickly shift into more sensitive territory,\u201d said spokesperson Taya Christiansen. According to Christiansen, OpenAI is \u201cfocused on addressing the issue.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With AI technology quickly becoming universal throughout technology, a report is revealing some startling applications of the new technology. According to a report by The Atlantic, a journalist and two colleagues tested out ChatGPT to find out the type of advice they could get from the AI. The journalists drew up several prompts for ChatGPT…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":516,"featured_media":28454,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fbia_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-28451","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\nReport Shows ChatGPT Encouraging Self-Harm, Demon Worship<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"A new report reveals ChatGPT gave disturbing advice on Molech rituals and self-harm\u2014raising alarms about AI misuse.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/news\/2025\/07\/report-shows-chatgpt-encouraging-self-harm-demon-worship\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta 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